BJP’s Dushyant Gautam moves Delhi High Court in Ankita Bhandari Case, Names 11 Respondents

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam has approached the Delhi High Court in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case, naming 11 individuals and organisations as respondents.

In his petition, Gautam has challenged what he describes as a sustained campaign of defamation and misinformation linking him to the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari. The plea names several political figures, political parties and public personalities, alleging that false and fabricated content has been circulated on social media to malign his image and damage the reputation of the BJP.

Gautam has denied all allegations connecting him to the crime and claimed that certain audio and video clips attributed to him are fake and part of a criminal conspiracy orchestrated by political opponents. He has sought urgent judicial intervention, stating that the circulation of such material has caused serious harm to his personal and political standing. The matter is expected to come up for hearing in the Delhi High Court in the coming days.

The Ankita Bhandari case had triggered nationwide outrage in September 2022. Ankita, a 19-year-old woman from Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district, was working as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort near Rishikesh when she went missing on September 18. Her body was recovered from a canal six days later.

Investigations revealed that Ankita had allegedly been pressured to provide special services to resort guests, which she reportedly resisted. The case drew intense public scrutiny amid allegations of political influence and widespread demands for accountability.

Three men resort owner Pulkit Arya , along with Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were arrested and later convicted for the murder. A court in Uttarakhand sentenced all three to life imprisonment , bringing legal closure to the criminal trial after a prolonged process.

Despite the convictions, the case has continued to resonate in political discourse, with opposition parties raising questions over accountability, while the BJP has maintained that investigations found no evidence of involvement beyond those convicted. Gautam’s petition adds a new legal dimension to the long-running controversy, even as the murder of Ankita Bhandari remains a symbol of public concern over women’s safety and justice.